NBA Playoff Betting: Tony Parker vs. Larry Hughes

I said gaddamn! Larry Hughes' pain injections appear to be working. (AP Images)

On paper or on an MRI readout the NBA Finals looks like a mismatch when it comes to the impending battle between guards Larry Hughes and Tony Parker.

Parker already has a title under his belt and is much healthier than Hughes, who’s been dealing with a partially torn plantar fascia. At one point he was expected to miss the remainder of the playoffs before staging a pain-injection comeback against the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Championships.

“It's a tear," Hughes said after the MRI. "It's not just sore. I haven't been faced with something this painful. I can hardly put any pressure on it."

Hughes looks a liability at both ends of the floor for the Cavs and is shooting just 36 percent from the field, while Parker is the Spurs second leading scorer in the playoffs behind Tim Duncan and is shooting nearly 46 percent from the field.

Hughes averaged less than 8 points per game in the Detroit series while Parker averaged more than 20 in the Spurs Conference Final series against Utah.

Head-to-head this season Parker also has the advantage. He averaged 23.5 points and four assists while Hughes averaged 18 and 3.5. Hughes' Cavs, however, are ahead in wins.

Don’t count Hughes out. His competitive fire and toughness have inspired the overachieving Cavs and if the pain injections continue to be affective, his experience could be useful in key situations against the Spurs.  

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